In Ankara, a meeting took place between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, both in a one-on-one and expanded format.
The Head of State noted that Ukraine values Türkiye’s principled position on Russia’s war against our country and our people. Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the cooperation that helps protect lives and for Türkiye’s clear stance on all key aspects of Russian aggression.
“We once again reaffirmed our commitment to the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of our strategic partner – Ukraine,” stressed the President of Türkiye.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed out that last night, Russia carried out another strike on Ukrainian cities, with Russian drones and missiles directly hitting ordinary residential buildings. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences to the Ukrainian people.
“In just one of our cities, Ternopil, more than two dozen people were killed by this strike – people who were simply at their own homes, peacefully sleeping. As of now, 25 people have been confirmed killed, including two children,” said the Head of State.
During the meeting, the Presidents discussed further cooperation, joint production projects, and coordination for more effective protection of lives. Their teams will work on everything that has been agreed upon and on the development of bilateral relations.
“Despite all the difficulties of the war, we aim to increase the volume of bilateral trade to 10 billion dollars. We seek to support Ukraine’s recovery with the help of Turkish entrepreneurs, who, despite the challenging circumstances, remain in the country and continue their activities in Ukraine with courage,” noted the President of Türkiye.
The leaders also discussed the situation in diplomacy.
“The war must end; there is no alternative to peace. Russia must understand that there can be no reward for war and killings, and Russia must not be left with the opportunity to start another similar war – against Ukraine or any other country in the region,” emphasized Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Head of State added that Türkiye’s active participation in the Coalition of the Willing, particularly its naval component, is also crucial to ensuring security in the Black Sea together. They also discussed cooperation on guaranteeing global food security.
“We are making every effort to restore exchanges – prisoner swaps – to bring Ukrainian military personnel and Ukrainian civilians held by Russia home. Of course, we are also working to return our abducted Ukrainian children,” stressed Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The President noted that Ukraine hopes to restore exchanges by the end of the year and to secure the return of a significant number of prisoners.
